ABOVE: Donald Trump supporters are planning a series of marches around the country this weekend. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
The North Carolina-based group Gays for Trump is playing a lead role in organizing a rally and march in support of President Donald Trump scheduled to begin at noon on Saturday, March 4, at the Washington Monument in D.C.
Gays for Trump President Peter Boykin said the D.C. event, which will include a short rally at the site of the Washington Monument followed by a march to the White House, is not a specifically gay event but organizers expect many LGBT people to be participating.
“It is for everybody but you will see a lot of rainbow flags,” Boykin told the Washington Blade. “D.C.-area Gays for Trump will definitely be attending.”
He said organizers have obtained a U.S. Park Service permit for the rally and D.C. police are expected to escort march participants to the White House along 17th Street, N.W. The crowd is expected to end up at or around Lafayette Park, Boykin said.
According to a Feb. 26 press release issued by organizers of the event, “March4Trump” rallies and marches will also take place on March 4 in other cities throughout the country in addition to D.C., including Virginia Beach, Va.; Raleigh, N.C.; Las Vegas and Reno, Nev.; Berkley, Calif.; and New York City.
Singer and songwriter Joy Villa will be a keynote speaker at the D.C. rally at the Washington Monument, the press release says. She will be accompanied by clothing designer Andre Soriano, who designed the Make America Great Again gown that Villa wore at the Grammy Awards ceremony last month in Los Angeles, the release says.
“She, along with the March4Trump Organization, is seeking to unite the nation together in support of our newly elected president,” organizers said in a statement. “The goal of these marches and rallies are to peacefully unite all people,” the statement says. “March 4Trump is seeking only individuals who wish to spread love rather than hate, unite rather than divide, and support rather than resistance,” it says.
The statement adds, “This is a peaceful assembly. Please do not impede traffic, litter, vandalize, or do anything else illegal and unbefitting…Any violators will be asked to leave and turned over to authorities when appropriate.”
